Sat 18 Oct 2025
Peterborough RUFC overcame a slow start to beat visitors Kettering RUFC by 43-29 at Fortress Fengate. As the score line suggest it was a far better performance than the previous weeks 17 all draw with Stamford.
Kettering started well and were soon on the scoreboard with a well worked try. Borough began to grow into the game in part thanks to their dominate scrum. Two penalties from a returning Byron Van Uden got them on the score board but Kettering were finding space in the wider channels and scored their second try after 20mins. Borough then dominated the rest of the half and scored two tries with Josh Casbon and Mooki Tshepo both going over in the same corner and Van Uden adding another penalty. At the halftime break Borough were on top on the scoreboard, 19-12, and also in the game itself.
Unlike in previous games Borough managed to carry on the dominance theyhad had at the end of the first half. With the ball being moved from one side of the pitch to the other holes began to appear in Kettering's defence which Alfie Lewis exploited to score a converted try. The teams then began to trade scores with Kettering scoring another 2 tries and a penalty and Borough scoring firstly with another Van Uden penalty, a second try to Tshepo and one to Captain Rob Jacobs. Borough will be happy with the 43-29 scoreline but know a lot sterner test await.
Director of Rugby Shane Manning's comments " a marked improvement on the previous week. We shuffled around some personal in our attack and it worked well so the coaches will be pleased. Our scrum functioned well and for the most part our lineout did to and to win any games those set pieces need to be working. Murphy Hill was our man of the match and others to shine were wingers Tshepo and Dylan Evans. We have a really difficult trip to Market Harborough next up. Not many teams have a lot of success at their place. They are by far the most physical team in the league and if you don't match them it could be a really long day. So this one will be up to the lads to show what they are made off"
